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President’s Message Feb 2015

It is just over 100 days until we begin our Mission for 2015. I want to welcome back our many RFTW-experienced riders. You are the glue and the safety net for our many FNG’s each year. You each have your reasons and needs for riding this Run, you each feel the responsibility and the healing and give support to each other, thank you! Those who will be riding with us for the first time this year…button down your collars, you are about to join one of the most sincere missions you can find in this commercial world.

“We Ride for Those Who Can’t” — six simple words with a very deep and wide meaning. You first-timers, or “FNG’s” as you will be known until reaching The Wall, should be prepared to laugh, to cry, to have your breath taken away and to be humbled.

“We Ride for Those Who Can’t” — we ride for the veteran who is unable to make the ride himself, when doing so we are responsible for carrying their need for healing cross-country to The Wall.

“We Ride for Those Who Can’t” — we ride for our fellow riders who are in need of healing and in need of support as they are welcomed home, many for the first time ever.

“We Ride for Those Who Can’t” — we ride to bring awareness of the POW/MIA issues and the thousands of our brethren who have yet to be brought back home and to shine a light on the government’s lack of attention to this solemn commitment to leave no one behind.

“We Ride for Those Who Can’t” — we ride out of respect and support for our current serving military who are in harm’s way and who are at the beck and call of our nation’s needs.

This is a motorcycle ride. Our logistics are devised for and optimized for moving a couple of thousand motorcycles across this country in support of our Mission. That said, we also welcome four-wheeled supporters and veterans who need this healing and support our mission. In doing so we recognize that there are Mission supporters who cannot ride in our midst. Putting four wheels in close proximity with two wheels is a recipe for disaster. We go to great lengths to keep our motorcycle-cade safe from accidents and therefore will set in place some rules of the Run for four-wheel (cagers) interaction.

Basically, it is very important that any four-wheelers on the three routes(except official Chase vehicles) run 15 minutes ahead of us and should expect to meet up with us at the lunch and evening events. There are very few, if any, events at the in-between gas stops for the motorcycles. Fundamentally, motorcycles can run for two hours without needing refueling, while cagers can run for four to six hours without needing a gas station. PLEASE DO NOT USE THE SAME FUEL STOPS AS THE MOTORCYCLES. If you are on 4-wheels and do not have a GPS, invest in one, it is a couple of hundred bucks but will bail you out many times over as we cross this nation. And it will answer many of the questions posed to route leadership on a daily basis.

We will have a meeting in Ontario for all cagers that are not Merchandise trailers or Chase vehicles (you know who you are). It will be important for these drivers to understand the timing and coordination for their vehicles. All cagers are expected to be at the meeting and receive the modified itineraries for cagers at that meeting. It will be on the day before we leave Ontario and posted with the Ontario Itinerary in April.

Speaking of Ontario, the RFTW hotels are currently 60% booked. That means 40% are still available! Oh and Arlington, VA is NOT full! The Host Hotel is full, but there are several other RFTW-hotels which we use every year. Please go to your route’s tab (Central, Southern, Midway) on this website to get the latest information available. I understand that the RC videos are now up and that Southern’s Hotel list (COMPLETE) is up!

GET READY IT IS AROUND THE CORNER!

Wish